RECOMMENDED: "SLIME!" by Łukasz Kowalczuk

It’s always a little tougher for me to write a really positive review or opinion piece, because I’m generally more used to shitting on things or making fun of them. That’s why I had to take some time off after reading Łukasz Kowalczuk’s brand new comics anthology “SLIME!”. I had to cope with the fact that I didn’t find anything to be cynical about or dismissive of here.

The cover of the review copy version. Click to enlarge.

In 2014, Kowalczuk did his first internationally-available comic, the miniseries “Vreckless Vrestlers”. We covered that, we thought that was great, and we also included it on a “2014’s best” list. That was the last comic by Kowalczuk that I read, though, before I got the review copy of SLIME!, an anthology that’s now being funded on Kickstarter (and doing real good). So how is SLIME!, and what is it all about?

I think it’s safe to say most people were coming up with their raddest, most imaginative shit when they were kids, before they developed all sorts of impulse control and became (more or less) boring adults. Kowalczuk has somehow retained all the imagination of a hyperactive 10 year old exposed to pure, unfiltered junk culture 24/7, and combines it with enough skills and experience to create an absolute fuckin' bomb of a comic.

There are Troll Fighters in this thing. Troll Fighters. And that’s not even the weirdest thing happening on the pages of SLIME! The anthology features many of Kowalczuk’s short comics (from one-page black & white stuff, to longer stories in full, juicy color), pin-ups, posters and covers made for different events and magazines. The common thread for all of this is Kowalczuk’s unmistakable style and subject matter. There is not a dull moment here. Check this out:

Click for Genghis-Size.

This is from a story about one of humanity’s greatest villains, Genghis Al, and the narration suddenly (and seamlessly) switches to a mock toy advertisement. This is the kind of blending of popular culture that Kowalczuk is really good at, and it’s far from the only example. NES video games, classic wrestling, comics, b-movies, action figures and bootleg toys (from a time when EVERYTHING was deemed suitable for kids) are all living in “SLIME!” in harmony, in a mix that somehow makes perfect, awesome sense.

The foreward for SLIME! is written by 2000AD’s Kek-W, and he makes some really good points about Kowalczuk’s work. He compares the art style to that of Robert Crumb, Jack Kirby and polish artist and writer Janusz Christa, and I’d say that’s pretty accurate. Comparing anybody to Kirby is a bit much, as far as I’m concerned, but one of my favorite things about the King’s work is how dynamic it is. The dynamism came first in his art, and that’s also something you can say about Kowalczuk. Things are happening, and they happen fast and hard. There’s a really good energy in all the stories and artwork presented.

The Ultimate Warrior is here.

Are there any downsides to SLIME? There are some minor problems with English here and there, but I’m not really sure if that’s done on purpose or not. Would weird mutants and post-nuclear wrestlers speak perfect English? I have no clue. This may be something that will be fixed in the final version of SLIME!, though - there’s a note at the beginning saying the review copies are not 100% final, so who knows. In any case, it’s not a problem that should bother anybody.

As I mentioned, SLIME! is on Kickstarter and the project already got full funding in the first week. I’m really happy about that, and I hope Kowalczuk gets as much support for this as possible, as there’s no other thing like this being made right now. I may be a little biased with my review - SLIME! does speak to many of my biggest interests, while giving me a bit of a nostalgic feeling, but I think anybody interested in cool shit should definitely give this a look.

"Journey to the inside of Łukasz Kowalczuk's head"

Go check it out! Give it support! Buy SLIME! for yourself and the entire family. Christmas is coming. Eventually. Leave us a comment, too, if you want!